


The Patrol

by DragonLover43



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 06:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17421164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonLover43/pseuds/DragonLover43
Summary: In her first year, Rose Weasley begins to notice that things aren't quite...right, at Hogwarts. For one thing, Professor Longbottom, who frequently visited the summer before her first year and was very nice and courteous, is suddenly abrasive and downright mean. Professor Snape seems to have sprung back to life, somehow, and there have been no correspondence between anyone and their parents. What's going on, and why has everyone from the Third Year up suddenly disappeared?





	1. Something's Off

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I'd like to apologize if I've given false information about James and Rose's age. I was under the impression that they were the same age, but after a quick Google search, I found that Rose's First year was in 2017 as was Albus', which kinda makes me feel old for some reason, XD. Sincerest of apologies.

_Dear Uncle Harry,_ Rose's letter read. _Things have been okay, certainly better than I was expecting, seeing as you had such a hard time your First year, what with dealing with Professor Quirrel and that fight you had with each other. Things have gotten weird lately, though, specifically concerning Professor Longbottom. Did he have the tendency to get really grumpy when he was stressed? I'm not sure what to think, really. We're all confused and concerned. So far I've only had Herbology, so I'll let you know if things improve.  
Best of luck at the Ministry! Hope the jacket brings you some peace and comfort if you ever need to escape for a few minutes._

_Love,  
Rosie_

Harry rubbed his forehead, where his old, faded scar sat, nearly invisible due to the stress wrinkles work caused him. He now understood why Arthur had so little hair.  
Movement drew his attention to the door. He looked up, and barely had time to react before a dart was in his shoulder, and he was on the floor, unconscious, his glasses knocked off and bouncing briefly.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Rose gathered her Potions supplies, and scurried down to the dungeons to her next class.  
"Welcome, students, to First Year Potions. There will be no silly wand-waving, so put them away. I'm here to teach you the delicate art of brewing potions that can bring a sleep like death, cure poisons, even reverse time. There is nothing quite like the gentle shimmer of a simmering cauldron properly brewing your next potion," said a sallow skinned professor with a hooked nose, black eyes, and long black hair. "I am Professor Snape, and you will answer all questions and requests with the same respect you would give to the Minister of Magic."  
Rose felt her eyebrows pucker of their own accord. She raised her hand.  
"Stand up and speak your name," he ordered her, a slight edge to his voice that made her stomach almost turn to water.  
She gulped as subtly as possible before standing. "My name is Rose Weasley, Professor. Um, my father said that he watched you die years ago," she said, her voice quivering slightly.  
She instantly regretted her words as he stormed up to her, causing her to shrink in on herself, resisting the urge to yelp. His jaw was clenched when she glanced up at him briefly before staring hard at the chest of the student sitting in front of her. "My death," he growled, "was merely a minor setback." He turned to address the class. "Any more stupid questions?"  
They all shook their heads and she sat down, trying to control her descent in spite of her rubbery legs. They set up for Potions and continued their lesson.


	2. Take Back Hogwarts

The next Herbology class, Rose took her place, taking in the sweet, warm scent of the earth in the pots with the sprigs of asphodel lilies the class was growing as pet projects. They were mere tender shoots at this point, growing incredibly well in the fertile greenhouse. Up on a high bookcase sat Professor Longbottom's prized cactus. She couldn't quite remember the name of it, though he'd mentioned it about five times over the summer. As if he heard her thoughts, he stomped in, his shoulders tense as he threw glares at everyone.  
"Welcome back," he said, the heat in his voice unmistakable. When they didn't respond, he snapped. "I said, 'welcome. Back."  
That prompted responses. "Hello, Professor Longbottom. Thank you for having us again," came the scattered replies. James and Rose exchanged glances.  
He glowered at them again, taking out his book on Herbology before ordering them to do the same. Twenty minutes later, he snapped at the smallest first year, Rebecca, causing her to stumble back as he threw her work on the ground, scattering soil and a lily shoot. She landed on Rose, who opened her mouth for a second before closing it after catching James' gesture out of the corner of her eye.  
Alexa, a talented young witch from Ravenclaw, took out her wand and mouthed a spell at Professor Longbottom. He didn't notice and returned to the front of the class after shouting at poor, frightened Becca again. He turned back to the class and opened his mouth to speak before he blinked heavily and his eyes rolled back in his head as he stumbled backwards into the bookshelf.   
The cactus rocked and fell off the shelf. Rose lunged forward with Rebecca, both of them just managing to catch the falling plant. They all exchanged glances before looking at Alexa.  
She shrugged. "Call it an intuition, but I think Professor Longbottom has been replaced," she said. They all watched her step over to the unconscious professor and stare at him hard. "Uh, what's the spell for removing disguises?"  
"I think I see where you're going with this, Lex," Rose said. She handed the cactus to Rebecca and pulled out her own wand, removing her glove in the process. She pointed her wand at the slumped figure. " _Revelio_ ," she said. Longbottom's face melted away revealing a startlingly blond man with tan skin and a wiggly nose, clearly broken in two places that healed badly. He had a badge and ID card on him. James knelt next to him.   
"Chadwick Renway," he read. "His badge says, 'Sincera, Veritate, Salutis.'"  
"'Purity, Truth, Safety!'" gasped Alexa. "That's what those words mean." They all looked around uncomfortably. "The spell will wear off soon. What are we going to do then?"  
There was silence. "Maybe we should just let him come to and pretend that he's Professor Longbottom?" Rebecca asked.  
"But will any of us be able to call him that instead of Professor Renway?" James asked, his brows wrinkling in concern.  
Rose's own brows were puckered as well. "How about we all call him 'sir' until we figure out what exactly we're going to do? We can discuss it with the older students in our Common Room, or maybe in the Room of Requirement," she suggested.  
"Didn't that get destroyed by Fiend Fyre?" piped up one of their classmates.  
James sighed. "At this point, anything's possible," he replied. "Maybe it'll work, but for now, we've just gotta find out if Renway is alone." Rose nodded, and they all turned back to the impostor as he stirred. Rebecca quickly hopped up and set the cactus back on the shelf, a little further back from the edge than really necessary. She took her spot just as he opened his eyes and staggered to his feet, leaning against the table. Rose found herself thankful that he had the same dragon hide gloves on as they did. The lesson continued, Renway somewhat groggy until the bell rang, dismissing them.


	3. Hogwarts Strong

A week later, James and Rose met and walked along in silence to the Library. Once inside, they hid among the maze of bookshelves and he slid her a note. She opened it after creating a little fortress of books.   
" _Lunis_ ," she whispered, casting a quick spell that mimicked the light of a full moon.   
James' note read,

 _All profs fake but Hagrid. Following group willing to do something:_ A list of names followed.

She took a deep breath and drew a quick smiley face on a corner of a worksheet. She dismantled her fortress and they packed their stuff before leaving the library. They found another group of students on the stairwell and Professor Hagrid standing in the seventh floor hallway by the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. He opened the Room of Requirement, which was charred, but otherwise relatively safe. As a precaution, Rose and Alexa cast a quick spell for detecting any dangers. Nothing came back. Everyone gathered around, the group of First and Second year students anxiously looking around the room, mostly at the door and Hagrid.  
"Relax, guys. Professor Hagrid's safe. We did the spell check," James reassured them. They relaxed.   
A timid First Year spoke up. "Why can't your Dad just help us, James?"  
A perplexed look came to his eyes. "I-I haven't heard from Dad in a while. Mum either. Has anyone else noticed significant difficulty in talking to our parents or guardians?" he asked.  
"I haven't gotten a letter from Gran or anyone outside Hogwarts for that matter," Rose replied. When the rest of the group responded in kind, a sinking feeling filled the room with a sense of dread. James and Rose looked around the room. Hagrid shook out a huge kerchief and blew his nose. The cousins exchanged looks. "I think we should go to the Ministry for help, or at least check it out."  
They split up into groups of three, each taking a floor to clear. Renway was easy to take out, Hagrid luring him outside then beaning him with his umbrella. They tied them all up and threw them in a dungeon, filling three with hostiles. By the end of it, they were all shaking, and all there was left was the Headmaster's office.   
A portrait glared at them. "What's the meaning of this?" demanded Professor Snape's portrait.  
"Hogwarts has been compromised. Notice how there's no students from Third Year up? And how the only Professor who's around is Professor Hagrid?" James said.   
"Well, the Headmaster will certainly know about this!" Snape snapped.  
"Before you inform him, ask him if he knows what Sincera, Veritate, Salutis means," Rose finally spoke up after regaining control of her vocal chords.  
A strange look came to the Potion Master's eyes and he rushed off, soon coming back with a wizened old man with steel blue eyes. "Hello, you must be James and Rose," he said.   
"Y-yeah, how did you kno-oh! You're Professor Dumbledore," Rose said, connecting the dots. "Mum and Dad talked about you a lot, all good things, of course."  
He chuckled. "What's this I hear about a group of students attacking and overpowering professors?" he asked, propping his chin on the backside of his fingers.  
"We have reason to believe that Hogwarts has been compromised," James began. He filled the former Headmaster in on what they discovered. "None of us have been able to contact our families, in spite of the owls coming back unscathed."  
As he'd been speaking, all the people from surrounding portraits had gathered in the three closest to listen in on everything. Dumbledore's eyes were no longer sparkling with humor, instead they were dark with concern.  
"Someone take notes on this: Send owls to the following people, requesting immediate back up: Joseph Henderson, in Germany, Allisia Conoway in France, and..." He listed off a few others before ending with, "and don't forget Charlie Weasley in Romania. At the very least he should know what's going on with his family."  
"We've already reached out to Uncle Charlie," Rose said. "We're waiting on a reply." She pressed her lips together and glanced around. "We asked Professor Snape to confirm if the current Headmaster knows what the following words mean: Sincera, Veritate, Salutis."  
"The reason he brought me is because I can answer a few questions you may have." He looked kindly at the group of students. "Ask away."  
"What's going on? Why are all the professors missing along with the students?" Rose asked.  
"The professors are missing because they're the only ones expected to be able to do something about the hostile take over. The people you're up against aren't expecting children to be able to function without good role models. I expect they'll replace us soon enough," replied Professor Dumbledore.   
"Who's behind all this?" James asked after careful consideration.  
"James," scolded Rose. "How would he know that?"  
"Well, in this case it's quite simple. The person you're up against is a man named Gunther Smith. I know this because the Headmaster, or at least the person behind the desk, often leaves envelopes out with the fresh address and letters from him giving new orders. We tend to hold very still when they're in the room. We're not any happier about this than you are," he explained.   
"If you guys knew something was wrong, why didn't you try to tell us?" demanded a rather annoyed First year.  
Snape sighed. "We were going to, but you guys are brighter than you appear," he grumbled.  
"Thank you, Professor," Rose said. _If we don't look super on the ball, they won't notice anything's amiss until our parents are free from wherever they are, and we've taken them out_ , she reasoned. James caught her eye and they both knew they were thinking the exact same thing.


	4. Hogwarts is Safe

Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape both returned to the Headmaster's office to lure out the impostor. The message was so generic and simple, Rose and James were sure it would fail.  
The message: There's students fighting in the Entrance Hall and none of the other teachers want to get involved. To add credibility, Hagrid hid just outside behind a bush a few yards away out of sight of the main hall while a few of the students got into a mock fight.   
It was uncanny how well it worked. The Headmaster came down the stairs and huffed out into the scuffle, breaking it up with ease.   
"Here now, what's the meaning of this?! Why aren't you two in class?" he raged.  
Rose and James snuck up behind him, wands drawn. "Because this is a takeover," she said, causing him to whip around and face them. "We know almost everyone's been kidnapped, and we know about Sincera, Veritate, Salutis. It's no use lying to us. It wouldn't end well for you."  
His eyes scanned the room. "Sincera, Veritate, Salutis?" he repeated. "I've not the faintest idea what you mean, dear child."  
" _Stupefy! _" James cried. Light sprang from his wand and hit the man between the eyes, causing him to fall to he ground, barely conscious. " _Revelio_." The face melted away, showing a man who could be their uncle, hair as fiery as a Weasley, face as freckled as a robin's egg, and eyes as green as a leaf.  
They bound him, removed his wand, and dragged him down to the dungeons, throwing him in a cell. Thankfully, _alohomora___ wouldn't work on the cell doors, a key was needed to release the prisoners.  
James and Rose exchanged looks. "Time to call everyone together," they said in unison.   
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were sat in a cell with about ten others. It was cramped and filthy from so many living in the confinement. Their wands had been removed and Harry's glasses had been lost in the scuffle, rendering him almost completely blind. The four exchanged looks as yet another group of guards passed by. They could hear weeping coming from a nearby cell, though they couldn't see the source. Ginny snuggled up next to him and he pulled her closer to his chest. Ron did the same with Hermione.  
It was no use speaking. Words were worthless here, all it would do is fill the air with empty promises.


	5. Seeking the Ministry

After calling everyone together and explaining what they knew, which resulted in Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape's portraits being bombarded with questions, it was collectively decided that Jasper, Rose, Alexa, and Sonny were to go to the Ministry to get help, if any help was there. Another group was to go to their homes and retrieve their younger siblings and anyone who was left. James volunteered to go get Hugo, Lily, and Albus so Rose could scout out the Ministry.  
They used the Floo Network, and spun out from the Headmaster's Office into the lobby of the Ministry. No one was at the front desk and an eerie silence hung in the air, the subtle whoosh of very minor activity in the Muggle world could be heard, but otherwise, the air was as still as a crypt.  
Rose squirmed uncomfortably. The four students exchanged glances before heading for the elevators. They made for the Auror Department after stopping at the other departments, even going so far as to knock on the door to the Department of Mysteries, shouting through the keyhole in case someone was in there.   
The once bright and bustling Auror office sat cold and desolate. As they made their way through the cubicles half full mugs with coffee and tea sat unfinished in their icy states.   
"Uncle Harry?" Rose called as she reached his door, leaning in and pointing her wand around, _lumos_ cast and glowing. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the brown leather jacket with zipper accents on the breast pockets and the tan arms with black elbows. She started towards it, stopping in her tracks when she kicked something. She aimed her wand down and saw something that made her stomach hit her knees. She picked up Harry's glasses, then grabbed his jacket before heading for her father's cubicle, about two down from the Head Auror's office. She already knew what was waiting for her, and she was dreading it.   
"Dad," she breathed when she saw the identical jacket hung across the back of the chair. She picked it up and then put it on. Somehow, the soft satin lining felt far colder than the mugs. They regrouped and heard the silent answer to the unasked question. Their shoulders dropped and they started for the elevators.  
Movement caught their attention and they reacted on instinct. A group of dark robed figures stood in their path. Hagrid stepped out of the elevator behind them and barreled into them, knocking them over and rendering them unconscious.   
"Anything?" he asked the young witches and wizards. When they shook their heads, his chin quivered ever so slightly. "I'm sorry. I wish I were of more use to you." Massive tears flooded his face and he blew his nose in a kerchief.   
They calmed him down and they all headed back to Hogwarts with their prisoners in tow.  
Upon exiting the fireplace, they made their way to the Great Hall to share their findings and regroup with their younger siblings.


	6. Despair...

After everyone learned what was going on, they all huddled together, those with siblings gathering them up and holding them close while those without simply formed a pile in the middle of the room. They eventually found their way to one of the four Houses, picking beds in the boys dormitories or piling into the Common Rooms where sleep soon found the frightened youth.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Later that night, as Rose lay awake staring at the ceiling, she found sleep unavailable. She sat up slowly, slipping out from Hugo's embrace and made her way to the Astronomy Tower to gaze at the stars.  
James joined her an hour later, his hair messier than she'd ever seen it. They looked at each other for a while before hugging.  
"What are we going to do?" she mumbled miserably.  
"I-...I don't know," he replied at length. "We have to do something, though, right? Mum, Dad, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron would do something if it was us, right?" This prompted the fearful tears she'd not realized were standing in her eyes to finally fall and she wept.  
===============================================================  
Harry woke suddenly, but not violently enough to wake Ginny or anyone else. He looked around with his blurry vision and saw Ron's silhouette standing at the barred window, gazing out at the moon. Trying not to wake his wife, he slowly rose, covered her with his sweater. He picked his way over to his best friend and joined him at the window.  
"They'll come for us," Ron whispered.  
"How can you be sure?" Harry replied.  
"Rose is too stubborn to give up, even if she feels she can't win." He smiled. "Especially if she feels she can't win. And she might feel guilty if she doesn't at least try." Answering Harry's confused silence, Ron continued. "Hermione and I told them of our adventures at Hogwarts." He finally looked at his best friend.  
"Everyone at Hogwarts will come for us," Harry said. Ron shook his head.  
"Neville's in a cell twenty feet left on our side," Ron said. "The other professors would be scattered, and I saw Teddy and Victoire in a couple other cells. It looks like the only ones left behind is everyone below age twelve. Possibly Hagrid too."  
If Harry's face had any color left in it by the end of Ron's relay, it was in his eyes. They both turned and gazed out at the moonlit landscape before them, rolling tree covered hills for as far as their eyes could see.


	7. A Thought

As she was mindlessly flipping through her history textbook (Why couldn't they have figured out a way to take Professor Bins? It wasn't that she didn't like him, it's just history was just sooo...boring!) Rose found her thoughts drifting away in the boundlessness of her mind.   
"Ms. Weasley?" Professor Bins inquired, jarring her back to reality.  
"H-hm?" She blinked, sitting up as he and the others looked at her. "Sorry Professor, I...I guess I was just lost in thought."  
"What were you saying?" he asked, floating down the aisle towards her.   
She looked around in utter bewilderment. "I...didn't say anything?" she said, unable to keep her voice from lifting at the end in a question.  
James shifted in his seat. "You said something about there being something we have to do to help our parents. Rose," he sighed. "It's been three weeks. We have to focus on making sure our siblings are taken care of. We don't even know where they took the adults!"  
Frustrated, but not wanting to admit that he was right, she growled. "Ugh! Fine! I'll go look for them!" She slammed her books closed and stormed out, ripping the door almost off its hinges. She ignored Bins' demands for her to return.


	8. The Fuarail Facility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I did a Google Maps search of Scotland to find a name from there, and since there's no names of Muggle cities, I had to look for isolated locations. Found a lake called Loch Fuarail and used that as a jumping off point.

Rose stopped by the Gryffindor Common Room to grab James' Invisibility Cloak (which he'd nicked from home) then stormed to the Quidditch pitch to grab a school issued broom. She remembered some of the lessons her father gave her and Uncle Harry had tutored her and taken her for flights when she was young. She kicked off the ground and disappeared into the clouds.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The school broom was super wobbly, but she could get around on it, at least. Didn't fall off, for starters, so she basically had no choice but to deal with it. As she flew, wandering mostly aimlessly, avoiding Muggle towns and structures, keeping a sharp out for Muggle airplanes, which her Mum had warned her about.  
_Mum, Dad, where are you?_ she wondered with a sigh. She sighed again, louder this time when a shift in wind blew smoke in her direction, swamping her with a thick cloud. She dropped below the vapor and found a virtual wasteland, sparse trees and rocks for as far as she could see. In the middle of this open area stood a tall fortress. She landed and wrapped herself in the Cloak and climbed back on the broom before going in for a closer look.  
Thankfully, the broom was also hidden under the Cloak so when she landed on a walkway near a massive block labeled "Cell Block D." She pulled out the sketchbook her Mum had given her and a small pencil, just her size, She quickly drew what she could see and remember. Then, picking up the broom again, she tucked her book under her arm, grabbed the pencil between her teeth, and hesitated before casting a quick spell to cover her tracks, not that they would have been noticed anyways, what with the sheer number of footprints along the path.  
"'Mione," she heard a voice say. She froze, listening. The wind dropped further, allowing her to hear clearly. "I don't know what we're going to do, but we can't do anything. We're trapped." Uncle Harry. She grinned and made her way towards his voice. She found him, her parents, and Aunt Ginny in a cell with a couple more people.  
"Sst!" she hissed, startling them all. She pulled the hood of the cloak back a bit, revealing her face. Before their surprise could be vocalized, she put a finger to her lips. She crouched down by the bars, feeling an uncomfortable bulge in her pocket. She reached in and pulled out the glasses. "We know."  
"How did you find us?!" hissed her Mum, who knelt down after glancing across the hall, where the other cell had a better view of the hall. When they shifted to look, her mother pulled her in for a tight hug, interrupted by the bars.  
"Er...luck, actually. I wanted to find you guys, and the only professor they didn't take, aside from Professor Hagrid, was Professor Binns, and while I love learning about History, it's just sooo tedious...." she explained, prompting a smile from her father. "Any ideas how many layers there are per cell block?"  
"I think there's four above ground. Might be more below. They took me to interrogation, four floors down," Uncle Harry said. He adjusted his glasses a bit before sliding them on his nose. They were badly cracked. He reached for his hip before remembering they'd taken their wands then thrown them in cells.  
Rose chewed her lip, raising her wand by a fraction before lowering it again.  
"If they yell at you about it, you can just say there was no choice. Magic had to happen regardless of whether you were underage or not," Mum said. She nodded quickly.  
" _Oculus Reparo_ ," Rose whispered, pointing her wand at Uncle Harry's glasses. A near invisible line spat from the end of her wand to the glasses, instantly fixing them. "I have to go now. I can't do this on my own. I'll be back with reinforcements, when we're ready."  
"Uh, no. You're going to get us our wands and then you'll let us deal with this," Harry said. Everyone hissed at him, ushering him to watch his volume.  
"I'll see if I can, but you guys were all taken, right?" His reddening face and silence accompanied by his green eyes looking away from hers told her all she needed to know. "I'll try to find them, and report back my findings."  
She yanked the hood back down over her face and everyone settled into more relaxed and defeated poses. She got to her feet and headed back the way she came and found her way to the main courtyard, where a massive statue of a man wearing a very smart suit reminiscent of an admiral's suit with buttons running up the middle of the torso, ending just between the nipples. A fancy copper frill took the place of a tie. He stood with his chin up and eyes downcast. At his feet huddled the defeated form of an unidentifiable being with a single hand reaching out for a wand that the man in the suit was pinning beneath his foot.  
She followed the signs inside the building behind him and found her way to a room where, when the door briefly opened to allow someone to enter, she saw baskets of wands. She counted the number of guards and very quickly realized that even if she managed to knock them all out without being seen, her cover would be massively blown. She wouldn't even make it out of the building, much less out of the facility.  
She backed out, taking care to hug the wall nearest her. She backtracked to the cell, making a note of the name of the facility. "Fuarail Processing Plant" read the name at the top of the first sign she had come across.  
She crouched back by the cell. "Five guards, and it's as busy as a beehive in there," she whispered. "Sorry, Uncle Harry, but we aren't getting in there any time soon."  
"Why not just try?" he asked.  
"Just because you were reckless in your youth, doesn't mean the 'stay alive, stay safe' gene has skipped me," she muttered. "Either wait and let me work out a plan, or find a way out on your own, without getting yourselves killed."  
He made as though to speak, but before he could, the lookouts hissed. "Guards!"  
"I'll be back soon!" she whispered before tugging the hood back down and darting out. Once outside, she kicked her leg over the broom and took to the skies, quickly disappearing in the thick clouds. From there, she had to figure out how to get back to Hogwarts.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It didn't take her long, either. She looked until dark, when she could navigate through the stars, something her Dad and Mum had taught her. When she flew in on her broom, she landed on weak legs, James meeting her on the pitch after the Cloak had flown up upon her landing, revealing her legs. He ripped the Cloak off her, revealing her fully.  
"Don't steal my stuff again!" he snapped. "Where were you?! We were worried! Hugo's beside himself, simply panic stricken, Professor Hagrid wanted to go looking for you himself, but he couldn't leave us alone, either. Not to mention-"  
"James," she said, clapping a hand over his mouth. "I found our parents." She removed her hand and he stared at her, gobsmacked.  
"You...actually went looking for them?" he asked slowly.  
"I didn't exactly intend to. But yes. I found where they're being held."  
He grabbed her wrist and all but dragged her into the Great Hall, where everyone was sitting down for supper. "Everyone! Listen up! Rose has something to say."  
He pushed her forward, where her weak knees almost gave out at the sudden attention. She straightened her appearance as best she could before clearing her throat. "Can I get a glass of water first, please?" she asked a passing House Elf. He nodded and got her one. After she drained it, she handed it back to him, thanked him, and turned to address the crowd. "I found our parents. I found where they're being held."  
The uproar was enormous. Her legs gave out completely, darkness claiming her vision as exhaustion weighed her down like six hippogriffs standing on each of her limbs.


	9. A Hufflepuff Idea

When she woke up the next morning, Rose opened her eyes and found several people watching her. The feeling of a few hundred pairs of eyes glued to her likely caused her to wake.   
"Sleep well?" James asked sleepily, his hair, like his father and grandfather, as messy as ever.   
She yawned. "Yeah. Sorry about that," she said before sitting up and stretching as high as she could. Her arms flopped into her lap. "Where is everyone?"  
He sat up, scrubbing his eyes with a fist. "They're all here," he replied. "We moved you to the Hospital Wing in case anything went wrong."  
She blinked in confusion, sleep still meddling with her brain. "Thanks," she said blankly.   
"Where are our mums and dads?" a loud first year practically shouted.  
She climbed out of bed and gestured for everyone to follow. There was a massive map of Scotland on the wall of the library, and she led everyone there to point. "There's a lake not far from the facility, which I'm guessing was named after it." She curled a finger and laid it under her lips, propping her other hand on her hip as she thought. She started pointing at a couple places before bringing her hand back to its resting position. "I'm not sure where we are, honestly. But it couldn't be too far from here. It only took me about a hour or two to find it, and I had to take a round about way to get there due to the Muggle-filled areas."  
"So when do we start?" a quiet Hufflepuff asked after pushing to the front.  
Everyone looked at him. "Start what?" James asked.  
"Training so we can rescue them," he stated bluntly. "We are going to, aren't we?"  
Glances were exchanged. "Great Hall, everyone, now." James surprised even himself with the firm order.  
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_  
Ten minutes later, Rose was standing up at the podium, using a small box when it was apparent that she was about two feet too short to do much.   
"So, as I mentioned last night before falling asleep, I found our parents, and I know where they're being held. I don't know much more than that other than they're wandless, and laughably outnumbered," she said.   
Hargid entered about that time, cutting off her speech. "Ah, than' goodness yer a'right, Rose. I was worried, 'bout ya," he said. She smiled at him. "What're we talkin' about?"  
"We were just trying to figure out how to save our parents. I believe you'll remember last night when I returned?"  
"Aye," he nodded. "What've ye got so far?"  
"Just told them that our parents are wandless, and vastly outnumbered," she said. "We were trying to figure out if there's anything we can do. We're just a bunch of kids, what can we do?"  
"If yer folks are anything to go by, you'll figure something out and you'll get em home," he said. "If yer gonna take on an army, though, you'll need some Polyjuice Potion, outfits, and maybe some way to communicate with yer folks for advice."  
She nodded. "Thanks, Hagrid."


	10. A Different Type of Teacher

After recovering and returning to the Library, Rose stood in front of the big map, studying it. James spoke up from behind her.  
"What are you doing, Rose? I thought we discussed this, we wait until Uncle Charlie returns and get his advice," he said, startling her from her thoughts.  
"I would, but how can we fill him in and get his advice if we aren't even sure what we're up against? If I can figure out where they're being held, maybe he can go with me to do a scouting mission of his own?" she replied. She pointed to the map, where she saw Loch Fuarail on a large lake. "The Facility was near there, but we have no idea where Hogwarts is specifically."  
He sighed, hopping up on a table to sit. "If only there was a Marauder's Map of the facility so we could know where everyone was and how many there were," he sighed, resting his elbows on his knees before cradling his chin in both palms.  
She stepped back and tripped over a chair, falling to the ground in an almost spreadeagled manner. "Ughf! Ow..." she groaned as she sat up. She looked up towards James and froze, tilting her head slightly. "What...is this?" she grabbed the folded up parchment she'd found tucked tightly under the table, almost woven into the wood grain itself. She unrolled it and found a long list of notes and spells.

_Moony, what are you writing?_  
_Shut up, Prongs! I'm trying to focus. Oh, by the way, Lily's looking at us._  
_(Excited illegible scribbling)!!_  
_Merlin's beard, Moony, you might have broken him! (Crude drawing of a cry-laughing face)_  
_Padfoot, I thought you were a better artist than that?_  
_It's my non-dominant hand and I'm not taking my time!_  
_~~Colloportus~~ Sequituros ./ ? Spell for following, Wormy._  
_Moony, what will we need for the map?_  
_Sh...We'll need parchment about three feet by three feet._  
_Why did you shsh me? We're writing._  
_You tend to whisper what you're writing, Pads. Sorry, it's a fact._  
_...Pince is a really good aim._

She read through the rest of it making mental notes. James hopped down off his perch and came over to investigate. He pulled out a folded piece of parchment. He unfolded it and tapped it with his wand.  
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said, activating the map. They both read the names on the map and on the scroll. "Is this...?"  
"Research on the Marauders Map? I think so..." she finished at a whisper. "I remember Uncle Harry mentioning how Sirius Black was nicknamed Padfoot, so maybe Remus, your namesake, James, and Peter Pettigrew, scum of the earth that he was, according to Dad, are Moony, Prongs, and Wormtail?"  
He shrugged. "Makes sense."  
She looked around in semi-awe. "They made this map with this Library, so maybe we can get a communication device to our parents? Like in a Muggle makeup compact or something easy to hide."


	11. Training Begins

A week later, Rose found herself nose deep in borrowed textbooks from various trunks, students, and "borrowed" library books, though she didn't know how she felt about it since Madam Pince wasn't there to authorize signing them out. She had a Muggle scribbler she had swiped from her mother's office. She'd checked to see if it was empty before stuffing it into her bag. She had transferred the spells that had a checkmark beside it from the scroll she'd found, along with the materials needed for it. She'd doubled it just to be safe, and drawn a rough sketch using a Muggle pencil depicting two layers of parchment, then scribbled in the measurements.  
James sat down beside her, dragging over a chair noisily, which earned him a glare. "So?" he asked as he looked at her notes.  
"What are you asking about? Whether I've figured out how to duel effectively, or how to create a Marauder's Map of the facility?" she growled.  
"Either," he said. "Also, when are you going to eat? You missed breakfast."  
Her stomach growled. "I got breakfast from Kreacher," she said shortly. "He brought me a plate of eggs and toast."  
"Well, don't over exert yourself," he said. "We also need to figure out how to brew the Polyjuice Potion."  
She sighed, setting her writing utensils down angrily. "What do you want me to do about that, James?!" she shrieked, leaping from her chair to confront him. "The book on Polyjuice Potion is in the Restricted Section, and I don't have the key to it." She turned away and hung her head, trying not to cry.  
He put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll use _Alohomora_ ," he said gently. "And the Potions classroom is well stocked. Besides, we can always ask Snape's portrait for additional instructions."  
"Well what are we going to do if we can't even cast more than the most basic spell?" she mumbled.  
He pinched his lips together between his teeth. "We'll train ourselves, since the teachers aren't here to train us," he said.  
"James, how are we going to do that? We don't have half the confidence required to use the spells we'd need, and even if we did, how are we going to get the training?"  
He poked her shoulder playfully before hopping up onto a table. "Are you forgetting where we are? Hogwarts has some of the best teachers..." He trailed off mid-sentence. "We can get the training from the portraits."  
"How?" She turned to face him at last. "They're paintings charmed to talk, act, and resemble the person depicted on the canvas. They're not really professors."  
He looked at her in amusement. "Never know," he sang as he hopped off the table and headed for the Library door.  
She allowed her gaze to drift from the door, to Pince's desk, then to the mound of books she had set up. She sighed and grabbed some Charms books as well as a couple on Defense Against the Dark Arts. She made her way to the Room of Requirement, and summoned it, using the method Hagrid had showed them.  
Inside, she found a gaggle of First and Second years, all struggling with their self-imposed homework. They looked up at her entrance. A couple waved at her, and she returned the gesture as best she could.  
"Don't mind me, I'm just gonna work on my dueling," she said, prompting several grins. Quietly to herself, she whispered, "Don't know how useful it'll be, though." She made her way over to an alcove that sank from the main hallway as she approached. She set a Charms book up on a pedestal, opened it to _Lumos_. She lifted her wand and traced the tip along the path shown in the book. " _Lumos_." She smiled gently when her wand lit up. She turned the page. Tracing the pattern there, she continued. "Nox." Her wand went dark. She practiced lighting and extinguishing her wand for about twenty minutes before she was interrupted.  
"C'n you show us?" a quiet voice all but whispered behind her.  
She turned and saw a few small First Years were huddled in a cluster. "Sure," she said, deciding it wouldn't hurt for them to know how to light their wands. She walked them through the steps, giving them the pointers her mother had told her on Platform 9 3/4.  
(================August 31, 2017==============)  
"Remember, Rose," her mother admonished. "You mustn't use your magic outside of class unless absolutely necessary."  
"Yes, Mum," she said, trying not to roll her eyes.  
Her father chuckled. "Considering all the trouble _we_ got into, I'm not going to be surprised if she gets in at least as much trouble as us, if not more," he joked, nudging Uncle Harry.  
He laughed and nodded, turning to address Albus' concerns.  
"Hey," her mother hissed, quietly gesturing for her to lean in. Not knowing what else to do, she did so. "The key to casting spells is to see it happening, just as you'd want, but remembering that it does take practice."  
"Why are _you_ telling me this, Mum? Won't the teachers say the same thing?" she whispered back.  
"Yes, but in case they don't, for whatever reason," she replied.  
(==============Present===================)  
She blinked back to present. The professors had been taken before the first lessons had even begun, possibly before the first feast in the Great Hall. "Show me," she said to the small group.  
" _Lumos_!" they all cried, flicking their wands. Six wands lit up. " _Nox_." The wands went dark.  
"Excellent," she said. The group dissolved, leaving Rose and her books. She stayed in the Room of Requirement for another hour, practicing her spells.


End file.
